Ruiz (concussion) will compete with Harry Ford for the starting catcher job heading into the 2026 season, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Camerato states that it's not clear whether Ruiz is back at 100 percent after missing significant time a season ago due to a concussion, but the team should have more information on his status once he reports to spring training. Ruiz has had a firm handle on the starting catching gig over the last four seasons with Washington, but he'll be challenged by one of the Nationals' recently acquired prospects in Ford.

The White Sox designated Romo for assignment Sunday.

The 24-year-old catcher was claimed off waivers by Chicago in early January and will now go through the waiver process once again. Romo has also spent time on the rosters of the Rockies, Orioles and Mets this offseason. He spent most of 2025 at the Triple-A level and had a .738 OPS in 244 plate appearances.

Quero visited Driveline Baseball last week with a goal of increasing his bat speed and improving his launch angle, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Quero had a healthy 46.3 percent hard-hit rate and 90.4 mph average exit velocity during his rookie season, but his bat speed ranked in the fourth percentile and his average launch angle ranked in the seventh percentile. An assessment determined Quero was lacking lower-body strength, so he was given drills to help increase his explosiveness and add more bat speed. He also had a pull-air rate of just 7.8 percent last season, and the instructors at Driveline worked with him on catching the ball in front of the plate in order to pull the ball with authority. Quero had a respectable .268/.333/.356 batting line in his rookie season and sported a 17.9 percent strikeout rate, but he swatted just five home runs. If the young switch hitter is able to boost his power while maintaining his quality eye at the dish, he could break through. Quero is set to share catching duties with Kyle Teel in 2026 and is also expected to see ample starts at designated hitter for the White Sox.

The Blue Jays signed Stubbs to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Stubbs made his major-league debut in 2025 with the Nationals, going hitless in three plate appearances. The 29-year-old will merely be organizational catching depth for the Blue Jays at Triple-A Buffalo.

Villarroel was traded from the Astros to the Giants in exchange for Kai-Wei Teng on Thursday, Chandler Rome and Andrew Baaggarly of The Athletic report.

The Giants needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Harrison Bader, which was the motivation for this deal. Villarroel reached High-A in 2025 and batted 276/.306/.362 in 15 games, and it's unclear if he'll hit enough to be a productive big leaguer given his lack of defensive value.

Basallo said at the Orioles' recent Birdland Caravan fan event that he's lost around 15 pounds this offseason, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Basallo could afford to slim down a bit without sacrificing the massive power that's helped propel him to being one of the most exciting young hitters in baseball. The 21-year-old is locked into an Opening Day roster spot after signing an eight-year, $67 million contract extension six days into his big-league career. Where the playing time will come from is less of a sure thing, as the Orioles have Adley Rutschman at catcher and Pete Alonso at first base. Settling in at designated hitter is Basallo's most likely path, but he will get starts in the field, as well.

Barnes signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Barnes appeared in 13 regular-season games for the Dodgers in 2025, posting a .519 OPS across 44 plate appearances before being cut loose by the team in May. The 36-year-old backstop will now aim to return to the big leagues with the Mets, though he'll most likely fill in as minor-league depth at Triple-A Syracuse.

Adams cleared waivers Wednesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester.

The 29-year-old catcher was DFA'd by the Nationals last Thursday to create space on the 40-man roster for Gus Varland (undisclosed). Adams had the right to elect free agency after passing through waivers unclaimed, but he will instead accept his assignment to Rochester and is likely to remain there for the majority of 2026.

The Brewers signed McGuire to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

McGuire participated in 44 regular-season games for the Cubs in 2025, slashing .226/.245/.444 with nine home runs. The Brewers have an opening at backup catcher behind William Contreras, and there's a good chance McGuire wins that job.

The Twins traded Pereda to the Mariners on Tuesday in exchange for cash.

The Twins DFA'd Pereda on Friday after signing Victor Caratini, but the former will reclaim a 40-man roster spot now that he's been dealt to the M's. He won't take playing time away from Cal Raleigh, but Pereda could provide some quality organizational depth after slashing .308/.422/.465 across 192 Triple-A plate appearances last year.